Smerby Castle, also known as Island Muller Castle, is a ruined fortified house

Fortified house

A fortified house is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.Generally beginning as a traditional manor house or noble residence it would later be later fortified to a more military styling with the addition of gate houses, stone walls, towers or other such features to...

 on a promontory known as Isla Muller, Kintyre

Kintyre

Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...

, Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, north of Campbeltown

Campbeltown

Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...

. The site is protected as a scheduled monument.

16th century

Ranald MacDonald

Ranald MacDonald of Smerby

Ranald MacDonald of Smerby was a son of James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg and Agnes Campbell, daughter of Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll. He was granted Smerby Castle from his father. He was a hostage for the good behaviour of his family together with his nephew James held by Sir Lachlan Mor...

 was granted Smerby Castle from his father James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg

James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg

James Mac Domhnaill or MacDonald in Scotland, 6th of Dunnyveg , a Scoto-Irish chieftain, who was the son of Alexander MacDonald, lord of Islay and Kintyre , and Catherine MacDonald, daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan....

.

Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg

Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg

-Life:Angus Macdonald went to Islay and Kintyre to renew the conflict with Clan Maclean. In 1579, upon information of mutual hostilities committed by their followers, the king and council commanded Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean and Angus Macdonald of Dunyveg or Isla, to subscribe assurances of indemnity...

 was kept as a prisoner in chains at Smerby Castle in 1598 after James MacDonald was sent to seek his fathers submission to King James V of Scotland

James V of Scotland

James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...

. Angus suffered burns after his Kintyre house Askomull

Askomill House

Askomill House, also known as Askomull House, was a fortified house north east of Campbeltown, Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.-16th century:...

was burnt down by his son James and was subsequently captured.